SHARES
Pregnant or a mum already? Are you feeling a bit too stressed lately? We know how that feels! We spoke to Dr Benjamin of MBA Chiropractic Centre on this topic. Dr Ben is a qualified chiropractor as well as a psychologist apart from dealing with patients coming in for back pain, shoulder related pain and sports-related injuries. Here’s what he had to say for queries about handling stress during and after pregnancy. Read on…
GetDoc: What kind of stress do women face during pregnancy or at work?
DrBen: We all know the signs and symptoms of stress – we are usually irritable, or feel nervous, you seem to have a stomach ache, diarrhoea. Of course if it is serious you need to get professional help from a counsellor. But generally speaking, if we talk of working women – it basically narrows down to psychology, which is basically the mind, a lot of it is to do with worry. Mummy worries about her baby, the family, the boss at work, her friends, money, the future.
GetDoc: Are there any other kinds of stress?
Dr Ben: Of course, as a pregnant woman, there is a lot of strain in your body so that can add stress on the lower back.
GetDoc: How do we deduce when we must seek professional help?
Dr Ben: Good question. You must take your signs and symptoms seriously. For example, you start noticing changes in your mood over a few weeks or a couple of months, you seem to be a bit more moody or if you feel suffocated, these are signs that are kind of serious and you must see a counsellor and seek help.
GetDoc: How does stress affect pregnancy?
Dr Ben: As you know, pregnancy takes 9 months for the baby to be delivered. Research shows that if a pregnant woman is stresses, it can cause a premature delivery or the baby may be low on weight rather than normal weight. So it is advisable that pregnant women do not stress themselves out for the sake of the baby inside.
GetDoc: As a working and pregnant woman how often should I get up from my desk?
Dr Ben: Well, we say this to everyone that has a desk job – get up from your chair and move around every 20 minutes. This we say because as we keep sitting in one place, there is a lot of strain on the lower back, disc, the shoulder muscles would be forever tense and tight. It is a good habit to move around every 20 minutes. Of course if you are pregnant, you have your baby in your tummy, so hold to your tummy when moving around.
GetDoc: I am pregnant, I feel really tired at work, I am not sure why, is this a sign that I should be on maternity leave already?
Dr Ben: This is perfectly normal and absolutely fine to feel tired at work, especially during your pregnancy, you may feel tired after you walk for a few minutes. It is totally up to you to decide when you want to take your maternity leave, you can consult your gynaec on this.
GetDoc: What kind of stress should I not do while pregnant?
Dr Ben: Good question. When you are pregnant, your tummy is like a plastic bag that can expand – the body is getting ready for the baby. When the time is right, it will contract and push the baby out. Any time from your 1st month till a few months later, if you are doing some strenuous work, it is possible there might be a bit of strain on the tummy/baby/pelvic region. This region is not stable for pregnant women, as a research states, so some movements are slightly difficult. Movements such as climbing the stairs, since the pelvic region is not stable, your body cannot generate support for you to climb up the stairs. Some yoga poses, marching etc are not recommended during pregnancy due to this reason.
One thing you can try is wearing the pregnancy belt, these belts can be worn and can provide support and makes it easier and less tiring when you walk, climb stairs etc Certain exercises are difficult or tiring or risky to do during pregnancy, like the cobra pose, triangle yoga pose.
GetDoc: I used to smoke as a stress-reliever, but now that I am pregnant, I need another outlet, so could you recommend some ways of handling my stress now?
Dr Ben: You need to find a different hobby, some bring home pets, some like to draw – zentangling or colouring. But definitely no smoking – bad for both the baby and you.
GetDoc: I was told that meditation helps one keep calm. I am not the kind that can do this, so what will you recommend to me as a stress reliever or something to keep me calm?
Dr Ben: There are several things you can do like I mentioned just now – colouring, drawing, pets etc. Or if you want something a bit more energetic, you can do exercises, or running or watch music videos K-Pop! I am sure this will help you relieve stress. You don’t need to sit down and meditate, essentially it is finding something that helps you stay calm, meditation can be achieved in a variety of ways. Some like to cook, some like to do some art work… things like that.
GetDoc: I tried several therapies like meditation, essential oils, warm soothing showers to keep myself calm, but they don’t really help much nor am I keen to take medication, so what will you recommend for her?
Dr Ben: I am glad you asked and my advice would be – Let it go! There are many things you do to help yourself, for example if you are finding it difficult to sleep you can count, instead of 1 to 100, you can do the reverse counting. It helps to fall asleep better and faster. One other thing you can do is, put on a face mask and go to sleep. When you put on the face mask, the body and mind relaxes a lot and of course don’t forget to take it off after the stipulated time! One exercise you can do is sit on a chair, raise your arms forward upto shoulder level, and bring down the arms as you breathe out. Breathe in raise your arms, breathe out. You can repeat this about 5 times, helps you keep calm. Of course, you can do the face mask thing additionally, to help further haha.
GetDoc: I am 5 months pregnant and having problems with sleeping time, how can I get proper sleep?
Dr Ben: Sleep at regular hours – if you sleep at 9 or 10 pm, try to follow that schedule every day, don’t sleep at 4pm or 5 pm or whenever you feel sleepy. This will affect your sleep schedule. Try to set a regular time, also try the tips I just mentioned. You are 5 months pregnant, it can be a bit heavy now so try to hang in there, take it easy, don’t do too many things.
GetDoc: Are there any yoga poses that can help in falling asleep?
Dr Ben: There is one exercise where one just lies down, palm facing upwards and try to sleep but do try the ones I mentioned earlier. They are more simple. Put one hand on a table, lean sideways to opposite direction and breathe, automatically the back region starts to relax, repeat on the other side, that also helps to fall asleep.
GetDoc: I am a working mom, how do I juggle work stress as well as family stress?
Dr Ben: As a working mum, you will be having multiple roles to play. So I suggest you make use of technology to reduce your work load at home – say buy online instead of shopping at the supermarket. Use gadgets or call part time house cleaners to clean up the house. You have lots of options so this way I hope you can reduce the stress at home.
If there is something worrying you, see what options you have, explore them. Talk to friends or people who you think will appreciate your situation and help you solve it.
To watch the entire session of this Facebook Live on this topic, do join the Journey of Motherhood – GetDoc community on Facebook.
by Hridya
A biochemist by education who could never put what she studied to good use, finally found GetDoc as a medium to do what she loved - bring information to people using a forum that is dedicated to all things medical. View all articles by Hridya.
